1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed toward devices with data display, and more particularly toward portable, hand-held devices with data display.
2. Background Art
Devices which display different virtual pages of data stored in the device and/or commands for programs in the device are, of course, well known. (A xe2x80x9cvirtual pagexe2x80x9d as used herein refers to a two dimensional representation of data and/or program commands, where the two dimensions may be greater than the size of the portion of the screen available to display it so that only a portion of such data/command representation is visible in a display screen at a given time. In a database, for example, each field of data may be visually represented by its own virtual page.) For example, personal computers can be used to display different data or program commands in different, xe2x80x9cwindowsxe2x80x9d, where the virtual pages of the data and/or program commands in one or more of the xe2x80x9cwindowsxe2x80x9d are larger than the windows. To view different portions of the virtual pages in the xe2x80x9cwindowsxe2x80x9d, the user must scroll or pan through the page (where xe2x80x9cscrollingxe2x80x9d the virtual pages involves changing which portion of the data and/or program commands is visible on the display screen). In many such displays, particularly with personal computers, panning or scrolling the virtual page is controlled by either movement of a cursor in the displayed portion of the virtual page or by interface with a control bar along the side of the display screen.
In addition to personal computers, however, small hand-held devices with display screens are becoming increasingly more common in a wide variety of uses. For example, small hand-held computers are common with small displays (commonly called xe2x80x9cpersonal assistantsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpalm held computersxe2x80x9d). Similar xe2x80x9ccommunicatorsxe2x80x9d having cellular communication capabilities and also having computer capabilities with small displays are also in use. Typically, these small portable devices do not and cannot conveniently have conventional input devices such as a mouse. Therefore, common personal computer interfaces, which have their own problems, are not at all suited for these devices.
In many such small devices, therefore, the small displays have touch-sensitive or touch-responsive display screens which sense when a certain area of the screen is touched and respond, typically by changing the display on the screen, based on the area of the screen which is touched. Further, some devices detect motion of the device and, responsive to the motion, either scroll or pan the screen over the virtual pages. However, since such screens are hand held and thus often in motion even when the user does not intend to change the display on the screen, control of such operation can be difficult and frustrating. Further, there are significant limitations on using such small portable devices, including in obtaining output (e.g., viewing data on the screen) and in inputting commands (e.g., to change the area viewed on the screen, or to command the performing of a particular function of a program in the device). For example, the limitation on the size of the screen itself generally it must at least be smaller than the small device itself) can make it difficult if not often impossible to show an entire virtual page on the screen. Of course, even if the information on the virtual page could be shown in text size small enough to fit on the screen, it might be too small to be reliably read by the user (particularly given the relatively low resolution typically provided for such screens). Further, given the limited area available, not only on the screen but also on the entire device, as well as the need to provide for easy and reliable operation when held in one hand, it is particularly difficult to provide adequate and reliable user control of the many desired functions of the device.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, a display control structure is provided for a data storage device which includes a screen portion for visually displaying a part of a virtual page larger than the screen portion whereby only a portion of the virtual page is displayed in the screen portion. The display control structure includes at least one sensor mounted on the device and configured to sense changes in position of the device in a reference coordinate system and transmit signals indicative of the changes, a control circuit adapted to pan the virtual page over the screen portion responsive to signals from the sensor indicative of the position changes when the control circuit is in a panning mode, at least one touch-responsive first area on the screen portion, the first area when touched by a user placing the control circuit in the panning mode, and a touch-responsive second area on the screen portion, the second area when touched by a user placing the control circuit out of the panning mode.
In one preferred form, the first area is located in a corner of the screen portion, preferably in all four corners of a substantially rectangular screen portion.
In another preferred form, the second area is substantially the entirety of the screen portion when the device is in the panning mode.
In still another preferred form, the second area is the part of the virtual page displayed on the screen portion when the device is in the panning mode.
In another aspect of the present invention, a display control structure is provided for visually displaying a part of a virtual page larger than the screen portion whereby only a portion of the virtual page is displayed in the screen portion. The display control structure includes a plurality of discrete touch-responsive areas in different sections of the screen portion, each of the touch-responsive areas being adapted to generate a page signal responsive to being touched by a user, a sensor adapted to generate a panning signal responsive to selective input by a user, and a screen portion display control adapted to both pan over the virtual page responsive to a panning signal, and to display a selected part of one discrete sub-page responsive to a page signal generated in response to a user touching one of the discrete touch-responsive areas located in a section of the screen portion displaying a portion of the one discrete sub-page.
In one preferred form of this aspect of the invention, the sensor includes at least one orientation sensor mounted on the device and configured to sense changes in position of the device in a reference coordinate system and transmit motion signals indicative of the changes, and a control circuit adapted generate a panning signal responsive to the motion signals. In a further preferred form, a second screen portion display control is provided including at least one touch-responsive first area on the screen portion adapted to selectively place the second screen portion display control in a panning mode whereby the screen portion pans over the virtual page responsive to the panning signal when touched by a user, and a touch-responsive second area on the screen portion adapted to selectively take the second screen portion display control out of the panning mode when touched by a user. A switch is also provided for selectively connecting one of the first and second screen portion display controls to the screen portion.
In another preferred form of this aspect of the invention, the virtual page includes a plurality of sub-pages with each sub-page oriented side-by-side with at least one of the other the sub-pages.
In still another preferred form of this aspect of the invention, the screen portion is substantially as large as each sub-page.
In yet another preferred form of this aspect of the invention, each sub-page is a logical unit of the virtual page.
In still another aspect of the present invention, an interface control structure is provided for a data storage device having a screen portion for visually displaying a pointer and a virtual page including command areas, where the virtual page provides a user interface for generating a command signal to control a program in the device. The interface control structure includes at least one sensor mounted on the device and configured to sense changes in position of the device in a reference coordinate system and transmit signals indicative of the changes, a control circuit adapted to move the pointer in the screen portion responsive to signals from the sensor indicative of the position changes when the control circuit is in a move mode, and a touch-responsive first area adapted to maintain the control circuit in the move mode during touching of the first area by a user.
In a preferred form of this aspect of the present invention, a command control is adapted to generate a program command signal responsive to the pointer being located in one of the command areas of the virtual page when touching of the first area by a user ceases.
In another preferred form of this aspect of the present invention, the control structure further includes a touch-responsive second area adapted to generate a program command signal responsive to the pointer being located in one of the command areas when the second area is touched by a user.
In still further preferred forms, the first and second areas comprise push buttons, with the screen portion disposed on one side of the device and the push buttons located on a side of the device different than the one side.
It is an object of the invention to provide a data displaying device in which data may be conveniently and reliably displayed.
It is another object to provide such a device which allows the user maximum flexibility in controlling the device.